Answers through blood
by gothina234
Summary: Request for Graysonation. What if Nathan Harris never tried to hurt himself? Still wanting answers, he goes to Reid's apartment. Opening the door starts a night of horror for Spencer Reid and a epiphany for Nathan Harris. One-shot. Set in season 2.


**Hey everyone, here is a request from Graysonation. The request was for Nathan Harris to come after Reid after the episode, Sex, Birth and Death. This means that Nathan Harris never tried to hurt himself. This features Gideon as it's set in season 2 of the show. I hope I have done a good job on the request and I hope you like this, Graysonation. Enjoy and I'd love to hear what you think. This a long one shot.**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Reid yawned as he poured himself another cup of coffee. It was late at night but he couldn't go to sleep yet, he had a few files to finish before he could do that. A knock came at the door, startling him and making him spill some of the coffee on the side. Looking to the clock, he didn't know who could be knocking at his door at ten o'clock at night. He went over to the door and looked into the peephole. His eyes widened when he saw Nathan Harris outside his door. Opening the door, he looked into Nathan's eyes. "Nathan, how did you find out where I live?"

"I followed you a few days ago," Nathan admitted. "Dr Reid, I need to talk to you. Please, it's urgent. I can't think straight and I don't trust myself. My head keeps making me think about doing some bad things. Could I come in? I'm just really afraid of hurting myself."

"I thought your mother was getting you help. You're not supposed to be out and unsupervised."

"I asked her to give me a few days, I just didn't want to get locked away without thinking about some things. Please, Dr Reid. I'm really scared."

Reid considered for a moment, he looked into Nathan's eyes and saw fear there. "You can come in, just let me call your mother and let her know you're here."

He stepped aside and let Nathan in. He closed the door. He turned around only for Nathan to stab a syringe into his neck. He gasped as the plunger got pushed. Reid managed to push Nathan away, the needle being pulled out as he fell away. Falling to his knees, he tried to get to the phone but fell to the floor as he began to feel sluggish and tired. He tried to call for help but a hand came over his mouth. Nathan came over above him and held his hand tightly over his mouth. Reid panicked when he couldn't move his arms or the rest of his body. His eyes drooped as sleep began to take him. He managed a few sluggish muffled cries of noise.

"Shhh...it's okay, Dr Reid. Answers will come to both of us tonight."

Reid closed his eyes and the world turned to darkness.

* * *

Reid awoke slowly, his eyes sluggishly opened. He tried to move but found himself unable to. His vision cleared. He stared at his bedroom ceiling, wondering what was happening.

"Don't worry, Dr Reid," a voice came above him, the voice of Nathan Harris. "I paralysed you. You can still talk and feel things. I just couldn't have you fighting back for this first part."

"What are you doing?" Reid said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "My...voice."

"Just a small injection. You'd scream for help otherwise. Dr Reid, I want to understand what is inside me. You've all thrown questions and labels at me but I still don't understand. It's still there. The need to hurt someone. The need to see the red run down their skin."

Reid's eye's widened as he felt something slice slowly across his stomach, he tried to scream but found it lost and blocked in his throat. "Stop," he rasped. He was faintly aware of a warm liquid on his skin. Nathan carved into his stomach two more times, causing more grunts and whimpers to come out.

"This isn't you," Reid whispered, his voice shaking from pain. "You n-need help."

"Yes, I need your help," Nathan said as he came above him. Reid took in the sight of a small scalpel, stained with fresh blood. His blood. Nathan grabbed a pillow and placed it under Reid's head. He climbed on the bed and sat on Reid's legs. "Why do I like it? I dream about it but I dream about hurting woman. There is this darkness inside of me and it's growing. Nothing any of you said, made any difference. I can't fight it! Tell me, how do I fight it?! Should I fight it?"

"You need help," Reid tried to say but he let out a pained gasp as Nathan cut his stomach again. "Nathan, stop. This isn't you."

"What if it is?" Nathan whispered to him. "Your goal in life is to catch bad people, maybe mine is to hurt good people. Not sure how prostitutes are good people. Everything contradicts. Isn't the world fascinating sometimes? You must know. You seek out the strange. Are you really a good person?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? Are you good or bad?" Nathan said placing the knife under Reid's eye.

"No-one can say," Reid rasped. "We all have a dark side, s-some stronger than others. Nathan, I thought you trusted me to h-help y-you. Why are y-you hurting me?"

"It's the only way to get the truth," Nathan mumbled numbly. "It excites me too. I do trust you, I trust you to help me understand. When I see your blood, it isn't the same as the others. It's there but not the same as when I think about doing it to a woman. Why is that?"

Reid remained silent and stared at the ceiling. He needed help but couldn't even scream or call out. He had only tried to help Nathan, he had never hurt the young man. He cursed himself for opening the door to him. He should have sent him away the moment he said hello.

His eyes widened and he let out a raspy screech as he felt Nathan stab the scalpel into his leg. "Tell me, I can't fight this darkness any longer."

"It's already taken you over," Reid snapped as tears escaped his eyes. Nathan grabbed the scalpel and twisted it. He wanted so much to kick out and fight against the pain. Angry eyes looked into his own. He knew that something inside of Nathan had broken open. Panic came through him as he disappeared from above him. A cloth came over his mouth, smelling of chloroform. He moaned into the cloth, his eyes slipped close as he lost the fight to stay awake.

* * *

The next time he woke up, he found he could move his hands and legs but only slightly. He'd been restrained with tv and computer cable to his bed, face down and on his stomach. A gag muffled his calls for help. He heard footsteps behind him. He felt the cold edge of a blade come down on his back, it didn't cut him but he felt it. He tried to talk to Nathan but it only came out as muffled gargles. He felt light-headed and knew he had lost some blood.

"Blood will tell, but often it tells too much," Nathan mused as he slowly pressed the blade into Reid's back. Reid recognised the quote, it was from Don Marquis. He began to carve a word into Reid's back, causing Reid to scream into the gag. The drugs had worn off but he was still helpless to fight Nathan. Part of him knew that no-one could hear him and no-one was coming for him till at least morning.

_If you're even still alive then.._.his mind whispered back to him.

The cutting stopped, he collapsed his head into the pillow and wondered what Nathan had carved into his back. The young man came and laid next to him. "I feel better," he smiled, a smile that Reid recognised all to well. He'd seen it on every unsub as they had gone about their sick desires. Nathan had clearly submitted to his desires. Reid knew he was a test run and would be lucky if he managed to survive the night. Blood trickled down both sides of his back. He knew that Nathan's desires centered on sexual sadism and on mutilation. Every part of him hoped that Nathan wouldn't fully explore his desires, he wasn't after all interested in men, his targets in his writing were all woman.

"You're a liar, Dr Reid. Placing me in that psych ward would not have helped me," Nathan said as he held the knife up in front of his own face, his gloves slicked with blood. "This helps. I was just too afraid to try. To give in, is to win. I can imagine the first woman, she'll come to me for the money in my pocket and I'll go to her to see her body, cold and lifeless. Bloody too. I'll know it's my hand that did it."

Nathan began to laugh before turning his head and staring at Reid. "Your eyes are how I imagine their eyes will be. Frightened but determined to hold on to life. Thank you, Dr Reid. You're teaching me everything that I needed to know. You're making me realise what is truly inside of me. I'm going to take out your gag. Don't scream. If you do, I'll hurt you."

Nathan reached forward and took out the gag. Reid clenched his eyes shut for a moment. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"To learn. It's why I sought you out that first day at the train station. I'm also doing this because I don't like being lied to. I feel...euphoric. You kept telling me to fight it but giving in is the greatest thing ever. No conflicting emotions, just pleasure and fulfillment. Tonight, I'm going to explore this. You're going to help me do that."

Nathan left him alone for a minute and went into the kitchen.

Reid pulled against his restraints, barely ignoring the pain in his back. He took his chance while Nathan occupied his kitchen. "SOMEBODY HELP ME! HELP! CALL 91-."

A wad of cloth got shoved into his mouth. He screeched as something got poured on his back, he felt it burn and sting his cuts. He pulled against his bindings, thrashing as the water seeped into his wounds. Every inch of the cuts on fire.

_That's not normal water,_ his mind said to him. His mind more calm than his heart._ It's saltwater. He mixed salt with water._

"I told you not to call for help!" Harris said angrily before stabbing the scalpel blade into Reid's back, legs and arms repeatedly. After ten stabbings, Reid fell unconscious, his mind running from the pain and his muffled screams dying to nothing.

* * *

Nathan stood over the body of Dr Reid, he watched as each stab wound, all twenty-two of them, began to bleed. He grabbed Reid's hair and lifted his head, he saw that he had fallen unconscious. He untied the cables and grabbed Reid's ankles. He pulled him off the bed, not caring when he hit the floor with a loud thud. Nathan knew that someone might arrive to the apartment, the police could come. Pulling the man he had once sought out for answers, the man who had given them to him but not the answers he had expected, into the bathroom, he turned Reid on his back and sat on his stomach. He took a strand of hair and chopped it in half. He studied the hair before slipping it in his pocket. He smiled and continued to cut away till he heard a knock at the door.

* * *

Gideon stood outside Reid's apartment, he had his chess board and couldn't sleep. He didn't like being alone with his thoughts these days. He knocked again. "Reid, it's Gideon."

He heard a loud thud from inside. He looked through the peephole and froze when he saw a red trail of blood. He brought out his keys and unlocked the door. He knew Reid would never leave the door without the chains on at this time of night. He followed the trail of blood till he came to the bathroom. He ran forward but slipped on the large puddle of blood coming from Reid.

"Spencer! Spencer!" he yelled as he rolled him over to look for the source of the bleeding. He saw small stab wounds in his back, arms and legs. The word LIAR also carved into Reid's back. He held him and grabbed his cellphone from his pocket and dialled for paramedics. When he finished, he grabbed a handful of towels and tied them around him. He made them tight to try slow all the bleeding. Placing Reid on his back, he held a towel to his stomach with one hand while cradling Reid's face with the other.

"Spencer Walter Reid, wake up. C'mon, wake up," Gideon urged before giving Reid's face a little tap. He watched Reid's eyes lull open but noticed they were unfocused. "That's it. Look at me. Stay awake. You're gonna be fine."

"Nuhhh," Reid slurred. "Na-Na!"

"Shhh...you can tell me when you wake up in hospital," Gideon said. Reid was so pale, his skin marred with smears of blood. He rocked the young man gently. "Just hold on, Spencer. Don't you dare give up."

He watched as Reid closed his eyes and slump against him. "No, no, no, no. Not you, not now."

* * *

Gideon sat in the waiting room, his hands shaking gently with faded blood on them. His clothes still had Reid's blood on. All his mind focused on was how long it had been since they had taken him. Was he even alive? He didn't know.

"He'll be okay," Hotch assured him.

"You didn't find him," Gideon shook his head. "There was already so much blood. He couldn't focus and there was no warmth to his skin. I want who did this found. It must have been someone Reid knows."

"What do you mean?"

"His locks weren't pulled across. There was no sign of forced entry on the door or windows. It has to be. Where are they? It's been hours since they took him."

* * *

The doctor walked in an hour later. "Spencer Reid?"

"Here," Hotch said. "I'm in control of his medical decisions. You can talk freely in front of us all."

The rest of the team stepped forward, wanting to know if the youngest of them was alive.

"Spencer is alive but we lost him twice on the operating table. We've repaired the damage and he's been very lucky. We know what got used to stab him, it was a scalpel. Exactly like the ones we use. He got stabbed twenty-three times, the stab wounds spread over his back, thighs and arms with one in his leg. Someone had also carved the word liar into his back. We found salt water in the cuts which have now been cleaned out and stitched up. They will scar. He lost a lot of blood and we're giving him transfusions till his levels come back up. I doubt he'll wake up for at least forty-eight hours. We got back his blood work. It was a trace amount but we found a sedative in his body along with small chemical burning around his nostrils. At some point, someone made him breathe in chloroform. He's been subjected to a brutal attack which I estimate was over six hours. His hair has also been cut crudely. He has some bruising around his wrists from being restrained."

"Oh my god," Garcia cried gently. Emily came over and hugged her.

"He'll be okay. He's strong."

"Can we see him?" Gideon asked.

"You can but only for a few minutes. I understand that you want someone to stay with him for protection reasons. I can allow that. Come with me, I'll take you to his room."

They followed the doctor out of the waiting room. Gideon's phone began to ring. He brought it out but froze as he realised it was still stained with Reid's blood. He put it back in his pocket, unable to open and answer it. They walked in and all stayed silent as they took in the sight of their fallen team member. There was an oxygen cannulae under his nose and his skin was as pale as the white gown that covered him. Tubes and wired connected all over him. They noticed that the sides of the bed were raised and pillows packed beside Reid, keeping him on his side.

"We've kept him on his side to keep his injuries from being disturbed. It's important that his wounds don't get opened up. I'll leave you alone. Remember, a few minutes and then only one of you."

The doctor left, leaving them alone. Garcia came forward first and stroked his hair. "You just rest now. We'll catch the bastard who did this to you."

The sound of a cellphone came through the room. Morgan brought out his phone. "It's the office. I'll be back in a minute," Morgan said reluctantly. He took one last look at Spencer before leaving the room.

"I want the bastard who did this to him," Gideon said angrily. "There was so much blood and he couldn't focus on anything. I hate that he was alone."

The heart monitor began to beep quickly. A small gurgling noise came from Reid before his body bucked. A stream of thick blood came out of his mouth and he began to choke.

"Spencer!" JJ shouted as she rushed forward with Hotch. She stabilised his head and watched as more blood came out. "Emily, get the doctor!"

Garcia stayed back in tears as she watched the doctor rush in with two nurses. The team and herself got forced out of the room where Morgan looked furious.

"What's wrong?" he asked as the door to the room slammed shut.

"He's vomiting blood," Gideon said, tears on the edge of his eyes. "They pushed us out."

"I think I know who hurt him," Morgan said urgently. "Nathan Harris's mother called the BAU, looking for us. She didn't have him committed and she hasn't seen him since early yesterday. She also reported a missing scalpel set from her work as well as other things. The Harris kid attacked Reid. It fits. Reid let him in because he knew him."

The door slammed open. Gideon watched as they rushed Reid out of the room.

"What's wrong with him?"

"We don't know," the doctor called back. "We're taking him back to surgery."

They watched helplessly as Reid got taken away. Gideon turned to Morgan. "Get everyone out and after Harris. I want him captured tonight. He's probably looking for another victim, most likely female. I don't care how but you get that son of a bitch. Now!"

Morgan nodded.

"Gideon, stay here," Hotch ordered. "Garcia, I need you to come with us. We can't do anything here. I need you to try to track Harris. Are you able to do that?"

"Yes," she said quickly.

"Call us when you get news on Reid."

* * *

Gideon sat next to Reid's bed. He'd come back out of surgery after three hours. A small bleed had gotten missed among the injuries. They had stabilised him and brought him back. He took Reid's hand and held it. "Don't scare us like that again. The team has a lead on Harris and they should have him soon. I'm sorry that you were alone when he was hurting you. Remember what Garcia said earlier. You just rest and focus on getting better."

* * *

Morgan walked in three hours later, he shook Gideon's shoulder. Gideon woke up and looked at him. "Did you get him?"

"He's dead, Gideon. He came at Hotch with a knife when we cornered him at a motel. Hotch didn't have any other choice. We saved a young woman he had."

He stayed silent as he took in the news, he looked at Reid and noticed that his heart rate was stronger. "As long as he can't hurt Reid again, I don't care. He's dead and that means Reid is safe. We tried to prevent him turning into a monster and Harris chose to ignore our help and turn into one himself. World's a better place now he's dead."

"How's Reid doing?" Morgan asked.

"Holding on," Gideon sighed. "He's stronger than he looks. Only he could have survived what he went through."

"You know he won't get over this quickly. He gave his help to someone he thought needed it, his trust and help got betrayed. It's going to take some time for him to trust the world again."

"That's why he has us," Gideon said.

* * *

Reid felt groggy as his mind became aware again. Slowly, he summoned the strength to open his eyes. They fluttered for a moment before opening up. He knew he was on his side but didn't have the strength to move. Gideon was asleep next to his bed. He listened as someone came into the room. He recognised who it was immediately as she began to hum.

"Garcia," he said quietly. She rushed around to the other side of the bed and quickly shook Gideon's shoulder. Reid watched as Gideon woke up and looked at him.

"Hey, sweetie," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak and thirsty," Reid moaned gently. She grabbed a cup, placed a straw in it and held it to his lips. He drank slowly and only managed a few gulps. She brought it away and put it on the table. "W-Who found me? Where's N-Nathan?"

"He's dead," Gideon explained. "We tracked him down but he ran at Hotch with a knife. Hotch shot him. I found you. I think I heard Nathan escape your apartment. I came round because I couldn't sleep. I looked through the peephole and saw a trail of blood. I used my key to get in. You were in the bathroom and there was a lot of blood. We thought we were going to lose you but you're really strong and you fought through. Reid, what happened?"

"I just remember him stabbing me on the bed," Reid cried gently. "He kept carving into me. He said I gave him the answer. He got the answer and gave in to what was inside him. He got so angry when I called for help and started stabbing me."

"Calm down, sweetie," Garcia said gently. "You need to stay calm. You need to keep your strength up."

"How long have I been here?" he asked.

"Three days."

"How bad?"

"You don't need to hear that now," Garcia shook her head.

"I want to know," he sighed.

"Multiple cuts along your stomach," Gideon began. "The word liar carved into your back. Twenty three stab wounds, one in your leg, the rest spread around your back, arms and thighs. Bruising around your wrists from being restrained. He cut your hair crudely too. You lost a large amount of blood and they lost you twice on the table. You're going to stay here for at least two weeks."

"Twenty three," Reid whispered to himself. "I only counted ten. I don't understand why this happened to me."

"Don't think about that," Gideon said. "He's gone now. You're going to be fine. We'll all stay with you and we'll help you through this. Nathan can't hurt you again and he can't hurt anyone else either. Focus on getting better."

Reid reached out his hand. "Don't leave me alone."

"We haven't in the last three days. We won't leave you," Gideon said as he took Reid's hand. "Go back to sleep. You need rest. We'll be here when you wake up."

"I'm glad you're my family," Reid sighed before his eyes closed and he fell back to sleep. He wasn't alone now and that made him feel safer than ever. They'd protect him. Like they always did.

**Please review**


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